A popular young police worker could have fallen asleep at the wheel when she crashed on an unlit stretch of motorway before being hit by a lorry, an inquest heard.

Samantha Derbyshire, 23, who had just been accepted to her dream job as a police constable , died at 3.30am on the M61 motorway near Bolton , after finishing a late shift.

The inquest heard she was very tired as she drove home following a shift as a call handler for Greater Manchester Police.

She had worked for more than a year as a special constable in her home town of Bolton and just passed tests to become a police officer.

The Bolton hearing was told Samantha had been involved in a minor crash between Farnworth and Westhoughton on July 4, when her Ford Fiesta collided with the central reservation. She couldn’t move the car and as she inspected the damage was hit by a HGV.

Witnesses reported seeing her swerve from the inside lane across three lanes of traffic before crashing into the central reservation and coming to a stop in the inside lane.

The cortege , lead by two mounted police , arrives at the church (Image: Joel Goodman)

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She fled to the hard shoulder, telling a witness she had ‘nodded off’ at the wheel. But she was hit by a passing HGV, driven by Nigel Wells, as she inspected the damage.

The inquest heard she had just finished a 6pm to 3am shift and had previously raised concerns over the motorway being dangerous due to streetlights not being turned on. It was told Mr Wells could not have avoided the crash. Coroner Alan Walsh is now writing to the ‘relevant authorities’ to raise concerns over the lack of lighting after a police witness said it played a “major part” in the tragedy.

Witness Kevin Howell, a Ford Transit driver, stopped to help Samantha after the original crash. She apparently told him ‘I’ve never nodded off before. I have never had an accident before, I don’t know what to do.’

He recalled: “When I rang the police she was still stood by the van. The next thing I became aware of a bang. I remember people coming down the hard shoulder and shortly after the emergency services arrived and told me that she had died. If that stretch of motorway had been lit this would have never happened.”

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PC Paul Hailwood said the fact that street lights were not on in that stretch of road had played a major part in the incident.

He said: “I am sure the collision would not have occurred if there had been better lighting on this stretch because the lorry driver would have been able to take appropriate action.”

Delivering a verdict that Samantha died as a result of a road accident coroner Mr Walsh paid tribute to her being “full of public and community spirit.”

“I cannot think of a person more dedicated to their career to serve as a police officer.

“I am satisfied that the collision was unavoidable and from the evidence given by the police, Mr Wells did a good job to avoid a much greater collision.

“I am concerned enough to report this to the relevant authorities. If something good can come of this tragedy it is that some action can be taken in relation to that road so that future fatalities and incidents can be reduced.”

Addressing Samantha’s father, Robert, Mr Walsh added: “You should be very proud of your daughter. She was on the threshold of her career and it is important to remember her achievements. Greater Manchester Police have the lost the opportunity to have an excellent officer.”